Handicapping playoff basketball means we’re handicapping a fundamentally different sport. Who can find an edge? Who can perform under the bright lights and who can’t? If a team or player has a weakness in the playoffs, opposing teams will attack it until they adjust. Gone are the dog days of the regular season where travel spots, injury news and motivation drastically impact performance, the playoffs are about matchups and adjustments. The NBA Playoffs feature the best of the best competition is tougher, refs swallow their whistle as the game becomes more physical, rotations shorten and the pace becomes slower with players recognizing that every possession matters more. It’s a marathon designed as an appetizer for the final sprint - postseason basketball. There are back-to-backs, three games in four nights, seven games in 10 nights, limited practices and time to prepare. For six months all 30 NBA teams travel around the country to play one another. I believe that perfectly describes the dichotomy between regular season basketball and postseason basketball. The late great Kobe Bryant once posed the question: Are you different animal and the same beast?
